Before tickets go on sale for Beyoncé‘s “The Renaissance World Tour,” the Senate Judiciary Committee has today warned Ticketmaster not to make the same mistakes they did regarding Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” earlier this year.
“We’re watching, @Ticketmaster,” Senator Dick Durbin tweeted from the committee’s official Twitter account Friday, quote-tweeting a post from CNN about anticipation for Queen Bey’s upcoming ticket sales following the “Eras Tour” pre-sale disaster that left even Swift herself “really [pissed] off.”
That disaster prompted Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to hold a January 24th hearing on whether the Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation have monopolized the ticketing industry. In-between some uncomfortable references to Swift lyrics, Senators heavily criticized Ticketmaster for canceling general on-sale of the pop star’s tour in November following unprecedented demand during the pre-sale. Fans attempting to buy tickets were met with slow service, frustrating error messages, and lengthy delays.
It’s unlikely that the January hearing alone would prompt Ticketmaster to make any changes, but some Swift fans also sued the company over the pre-sale for “The Eras Tour,” and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also announced that he’s investigating potential antitrust violations. We’ll be watching, too; see Senate Judiciary Committee’s tweet below.
Tickets to the North American leg of Beyoncé’s “The Renaissance World Tour” — supporting her recent album of the same name — will be released in waves beginning February 6th. In order to be eligible to purchase, fans must register for the Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale (there are also specific pre-sale options for members of Beyoncé’s BeyHive fan club and Citi Cardmembers.) Visit Ticketmaster’s website for more information. For the European shows, check local event listings for specific on-sale information. Alternatively, tickets will be available via Stubhub.
We’re watching, @Ticketmaster. https://t.co/LuWjoXrWX4
— Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) February 2, 2023